Anticipatory bail plea of Punjab-resident for managing fake J&K PRC dismissed

A court here on Saturday dismissed an anticipatory bail application of a man from Punjab who is wanted by the Crime Branch Jammu for his alleged involvement in managing a fake Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) for claiming the residential status of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state.

A Crime Branch spokesperson said it strongly contested anticipatory bail application of Manjeet Singh of Jalandhar and got it dismissed by the court of 3rd additional sessions Judge, Jammu, on merits of the case.

The case was registered against the accused at Crime Branch Jammu in 2003. The charges against the accused were proved and subsequently, the charge-sheet was produced in the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Jammu in September 2006.

However, during the trial of the case, presence of the accused was sought by the court but they did not appear before it which led to the adjournment of the court, he said, adding the accused kept on evading his presence before the court and consequently proceedings under Section 512 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) were initiated against him for effecting his arrest.

He said the accused remained at large and kept on evading his arrest by changing his locations frequently.

However, Crime Branch Jammu continued to raid his possible hideouts, the spokesperson said, adding sensing his arrest, the accused moved an application for his anticipatory bail before the court.

He said the general warrant for arrest under Section 512 of the CrPC issued by the court would remain effective till its execution.